“It had the taste of an apple peeled with a steel knife.”
Aldous Huxley (1894–1963), in the movie “Time Must Have a Stop” (1944)
Wine tasting in Mendoza was quite the experience. I arrived in Mendoza after a few life changing months in Santiago Chile. It was my first time setting foot in Argentina and to me the perfect place to begin ones journey through this amazing country. Especially in March during the last month of summer. It really doesn’t get better.
After a few nights of dancing Tango, I heard amongst other things, that one of the things I had to experience was a self guided bike tour through the Mendoza wine country. And being an avid drinker of wine, this quickly became top of my list. So I scheduled with my hostel to be picked up the next day.
I arrived to the bike shop alone but was immediately joined by a group of guys from England who were traveling together. It was the birthday of one of the guys, so the energy for a great day was already in the air. Nothing like the anticipation for getting wasted by 10 in the morning.
We geared up our bikes, ($12 for the entire day) and were given a quick ten minute briefing and a basic map of where to go, and then set out into the fresh clean air of the vineyards. Sun shining on the vibrant plants and nothing but blue skies. It felt like a dream.
There was also an unspoken pact between us that this wasn’t going to be simply day of sipping small samples of wine, but rather a rampage of the vineyards with the soul purpose of getting smackered as quickly as possible.
Within the first ten minutes we arrived at a small family owned vineyard. We were greeted by a wagging dog and his owner who came eagerly off of his porch to guide us to his small, but elegantly decorated tasting room. More like an old garage but it couldn’t have been more perfect. A place where we could have probably stayed for dinner if we wanted. Typical Argentine style.
Although in general the wine is fairly inexpensive, we realized it was going to even more effective to achieve our goal to split the cost of bottles instead of paying for small portions all day. So we started with two bottles and our day had officially begun.
Over the course of the day we visited nearly every vineyard within about a 15 kilometer area. In addition to the wine, most vineyards host a variety of other freshly, hand made products such as olives, chocolates, cheeses, different types of fruit liqueurs and even the controversial Absinthe, an extremely potent concoction, historically referred to as “Devils Urine” or “The Green Fairy”
It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia. Which is commonly referred to as “grande wormwood”.
Absinthe usually has a natural green color but can also be colorless. It also is known to have hallucinogenic properties as it contains trace amounts of the chemical Thujone. Hard to tell however after three hours of downing bottles wine.
Although it is sometimes called a liqueur, absinthe isn’t bottled with sugar and is therefore classified as a spirit. Absinthe is normally diluted with water when consumed, but not in this case. They mixed it with slightly caramelized sugar and slid it across the bar. It had an almost minty taste that stung for several minutes after taking it down. Probably not something I would consume on a regular basis.
We also stopped at a local home based beer brewery located more or less in the middle of a grass field. Sitting on the makeshift couches, in the middle of a cleared out spot in the dirt, surrounded by good people, I couldn’t help to think how simple life really needs to be.
By five in the afternoon, we were nothing short of belligerent and ended the day at more classy winery with a plate of cheese, olives and baguette bread overlooking the still vibrant grapevines, which now seemed to have tracers coming off them. (Hmm, maybe the Absinthe was having an effect. )
Be sure to check out he video on this experience located at www.natebunger.com
It was an amazing day and one that I won’t soon be forgotten. I highly recommend the wine tasting tour for anyone traveling to Mendoza Argentina.
Hi, I’m Nate Bunger and the writer and entrepreneur behind this blog.Over the past several years I've created, managed and sold several different businesses despite never finishing high school, making myself more or less financially free by the age of 25.
I used the realization that we can do anything in life if we are simply willing to set goals, find the answers we seek and never stop until we achieve what we set out for.
I currently teach people how to get clear on their purpose, create habits for massive change and bring their deepest desires into reality.
I operate my business from a Mac laptop while traveling around the world…My dream :)
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That looks/sounds like an absolute blast!I dont know how in the world you were able to ride a bike let alone take video while riding a bike after a couple stops along your route (and especially after the absinthe haha)! Good stuff Nate, hope to see ya soon, one way or another!
Not sure how I did it myself either
Coming that way soon…Looking at property here in Medellin Colombia…Thinking seriously about calling this home for a good while. Simply paradise.